Google to design it's own chips and phones? [UPDATE]

[patrick3027]

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/5/9678040/google-android-chip-design-smartphones
 

Google is reportedly taking a page out of Apple's playbook and expressing interest in co-developing Android chips based on its own designs, according to a report today from The Information. Similar to how the iPhone carries a Ax chip designed by Apple but manufactured by companies like Samsung, Google wants to bring its own expertise and consistency to the Android ecosystem. To do that, it would need to convince a company like Qualcomm, which produces some of the top Android smartphone chips today using its own technology, to sacrifice some of its competitive edge.
 
The discussions around Google-designed chips, which The Information say occurred this fall, originated around the company's desire to build an "enterprise connectivity device" — possibly the Pixel C laptop-tablet hybrid unveiled in September — that would rely wholly on in-house technology. Soon, Google was discussing the possibility of designing its own smartphone chips as well, the report states. One benefit of Google's strategy would be the ability to bake in cutting edge features into future versions of Android, like support for augmented and virtual reality, that would require more closely integrated software and hardware.

I dont see this happening, but a fallback of this plan may be "open designs" of chipsets with features Google nudges partners like Samsung and Qualcomm into adding on their own chips.

UPDATE: the rumor mill doesn't stop there. Gogle is talking about a Pixel phone internally
 

There have been consistent rumors that Nexus hardware partners have never been terribly thrilled with the Nexus program, because it amounts to a lot of work for little reward in most cases. Combine that with various legal questions about what Google requires from manufacturers in order to have access to Google Play and Google Apps, and there are good reasons why Google might want to build its own hardware.

http://www.phonearena.com/news/New-rumor-claims-Google-is-discussing-its-own-phone_id75650

 

About one year after selling Motorola, executives inside Google are once again discussing whether to build an Android phone from scratch.

People who work at Google say there is debate and discussion about the topic right now—as there is with myriad ideas at “Googphabet,” one of the many internal nicknames for the new Alphabet-Google corporate structure. But the fact the issue is on the table at all is noteworthy and shows how Google’s Android strategy remains in flux.

 

https://www.theinformation.com/google-discussing-building-phone
 

[Mihle]

Google have produced a lot of hardware for their own servers, so I think it might happen.

[Misanthrope]

Hey, pst! Google! Over here dudes!....Yeah you don't need to do that, just buy AMD I'd be a bargain and you can salvage some tech

[TechGod]

Hey, pst! Google! Over here dudes!....Yeah you don't need to do that, just buy AMD I'd be a bargain and you can salvage some tech

No pls. 

[SurvivorNVL]

Hey, pst! Google! Over here dudes!....Yeah you don't need to do that, just buy AMD I'd be a bargain and you can salvage some tech

Google or Apple could probably turn a decent profit if they were purchase and pour funds in to AMD for a good two years.  Jump-start the process.

[Belgarathian]

Google or Apple could probably turn a decent profit if they were purchase and pour funds in to AMD for a good two years.  Jump-start the process.

 

Apple would probably be best with their continued leading designs in the mobile space with their A series SoCs. AMD would get massive improvements to their ailing IPC, and Apple would get their hands on AMDs graphics tech.

[TechGod]

Apple would probably be best with their continued leading designs in the mobile space with their A series SoCs. AMD would get massive improvements to their ailing IPC, and Apple would get their hands on AMDs graphics tech.

Then keep it to themselves and us enthusiasts would get screwed over. 

[Belgarathian]

Then keep it to themselves and us enthusiasts would get screwed over. 

 

I would doubt it, I don't think Apple would absorb the company after the acquisition. Probably cross-license the IP and still sell to the public, AMD has been around too long and is likely too large to not be involved in server based applications and retail. 

 

This is likely to be a money driven factor though. If Apple can make more money buy not selling to the public and business, then that's what they'll do. Same with every other company that looks at acquiring AMD. 

[Doobeedoo]

I assume they'll want them for Android mainly.

[patrick3027]

Updated the post. The same website who claimed Google would design it own chips have posted a new article saying there are talks about a Pixel phone internally.

[Sauron]

Maybe they can put their brands on phones that make sense again then. The nexus series has been a trainwreck in the last two years. They lost the one thing that made them good, a low price to performance ratio.

 

Google or Apple could probably turn a decent profit if they were purchase and pour funds in to AMD for a good two years.  Jump-start the process.

 

apple would be the worst possible buyer. They'd have the excuse to stop buying from intel and they'd start making proprietary cpus that they'd only use in macs and wouldn't sell to anyone else.

 

Apple would probably be best with their continued leading designs in the mobile space with their A series SoCs. AMD would get massive improvements to their ailing IPC, and Apple would get their hands on AMDs graphics tech.

 

That's not how it works. At all. x86 is completely different from arm, and fx ipc is still better than what you get on a A9. No part of apple's chip design experience would be useful in making x86 cpus.